"That Gun's Too Big for You!"

[meatgrinder42]

I once said the same thing about my fiance and my .357. When we were still just dating she wanted to shoot it and I was kind of worried about it, but gave it to her anyway. Me and a buddy stood back and watched as she took aim at a soda can. The hammer dropped and the can flew and hit the ground, then she shot again and the can bounced up and landed down, she hit it twice more (making it 4/6 hits). Me and my buddy stood there going as she handed it back and said as she walked by, "My daddy has a .44..."

Since seeing that I don't believe in the phrase 'that gun is too big for you' unless it's a toddler.

 

[TailGator]

she handed it back and said as she walked by, "My daddy has a .44..

You were wise to propose.

My daughter is a college student and took an anti-gun journalism-major friend to a range for a journalism assignment. The clerk did a good job going over safety (although my daughter had already done it with her friend) and teaching the basics of stance, grip, sight alignment, and so on, but seemed to be dismissive of my daughter's statement that she was an experienced shooter. My daughter was quite polite, then when he ran the target out to 5 yards for the "beginners" she put 10 straight rounds into the 10 ring (with .22LR - it was, after all, her friend's first time shooting). The clerk's jaw dropped open, and my little darling just said, "I told you - my dad takes me shooting." The resulting article in the campus paper referred to my daughter as the writer's "dead-eye friend." The clerk is probably congratulating himself on what a good teacher he is.

 

[dabigguns357]

This is the very reason my wife hates gun stores,she used to go in and try different ones to see which one she likes only to be told she needed this one or that one.My wife can and will make up her own mind and she does a very good job of reminding them of this.

The last straw came when a guy kinda threw an lcr across the counter and told her she need it instead of what she wanted.She told him not so politely that if she had wanted a revolver she would have asked him for one,she then left.You have every right to be upset,it's your choice and your money if you so choose to.

BTW here is what my wife C/C most of the time,it's a Glock 23 and she loves it.

 

[RPGamingGirl]

pistols are kind of like dogs, the big ones are usually friendly and manageable, the little ones are yappy and nasty-mean.

That's been my experience too. The weight of the larger gun makes it easier to use, not harder.

Of course I had cheated. The loads were light and the gun was fully accurized. Hard to miss with once she understood sight picture and trigger squeeze.

That's not cheating! That's having appropriate equipment for the situation.

My step-mom for intance could shoot a Contender VERY well and was usually contending for match wins while my Dad & I were simply trying for class wins (Hunter's Pistol Silhouette.)

Women seem to be naturally better when it comes to accuracy, with or without a lot of experience. At least from what i've seen, and anecdotal evidence i've heard.

Remember, you can TAKE offence, but no one can GIVE offence unless you allow them to.

You make an excellent point.

My daughter has ran into some of that is to big your you lady types until she empties her 45 into the target. She just laughes at them.

So i need a BIGGER gun, lol.

As far as out of state buying, he said that he could sell to you "...if you've got someone for me to ship it to..." implying, at least to me, one FFL to another which is completely legal.

I didn't even think he meant another FFL. He certainly didn't say that! I should have known i couldn't just buy one in another state, but since it only takes about 10 minutes in my state (MO), from a pawn shop or gun show, i figured it could still be done the same day by a licensed dealer. Clearly i'm overestimating the technology.

Now, maybe his sales pitch would have used a little work--in your place I would have replied, "I dunno, I've been shooting it regularly for____ years and it seems to fit nicely."--but he was more than likely on the up-and-up.

I've only had the gun for a month, so he probably would have told me i had no business shooting at all instead, lol.

Were you in KS, OK, or AR?

AR.

Stereotypes and knee-jerk reactions are frequently way off base in our sport.

Amen to that.

If she's in a nasty mood she'll look at a guy that says her gun is too big and ask if he thinks the same thing about her boobs. She's from New York. What do you expect.

Lol, sounds like someone i need to hang out with.

In the past especially before WWII it was a common comment that women have a very delicate nervous system so should not even think about shooting anything bigger than a 22 !!

lol, guess it's unreasonable to expect all of society to evolve at the same rate.

Just ask my son. It's never too big!

OMG cutest thing i've seen all day; thanks for sharing!

As far as sales across state lines, there may have simply been a misunderstanding there. You can indeed buy a handgun from another state, but the handgun must be shipped to an FFL in your home state and you will fill out the 4473 and go through the NICS check there.

You're right; it could have been that he assumed i understood what he meant. I would have preferred the process explained though.

As far as the gun being too big for you, well I just really don't know what to say about that. I suppose perhaps he meant that the gun was too big for a CCW, but I've known many people who had no trouble routinely carrying guns the same size or larger than your Sig. If he meant that the gun was too big for you to shoot well, then he's obviously incorrect. I have found that you cannot judge what a persona can or cannot shoot just by looking at them. I've known slightly-built women who could handle a .44 Magnum without issue and big burly men who couldn't shoot anything more than a 9mm.

He would have been right if he meant it was no good for CCW on me. Here's what it looks like on my hip:

As i said before, i'm not a small girl! So i don't know where the heck i could hide it, lol. (PS, sorry the image is huge; not sure how to resize with bb code)

Just give your best Ziva smile...

Just give him your best Ziva smile as you quietly whisper the words "...opinions vary !"

lol

So if I had been standing near you two when that was said, you would have heard a snort from my direction.

I kind of think, had ANYONE been in the room, there would have been a bit of that. And if anyone that knew me had been there, there would have been outright laughter.

The dealer lacked personal skills, but he was correct that he could sell to anyone even from another state. The caveat is that he has to ship/transfer the gun to a dealer in the buyer's home state. From that point it is the home state dealers responsibility to see that the buyer is legal and to follow the home state's laws.

I do lean toward thinking it was a lack of social skills and professional negligence rather than him purposefully misleading me. Thought i'd ask around though!

Probably sniffed a bit too much Agent Orange because he's surely not making any sense at all.

Oh snap.

Plus he took out the toys and let you handle 'em. That has to count for something.

It might be fun to come back with the Sig and shoot a target or two for him but I'd only do it if I thought it would be fun. And be prepared, it STILL might not change his mind that the pistol is too big for you.

Oh i definitely appreciate that he took the time to show me some guns and talked to me rather than just blowing me off completely; he could have done that!

And i have thought a lot about paying for some range time just to prove him wrong. He'd probably find something i wasn't doing right though; i've only been shooting seriously for about a month.

When my size 4 wife was shopping for her first gun, a 300+ lb sales man tried to sell her a .22 (WMR or some such?) revolver. I was a bit put off by his condescension, but was later told by the shop owner that the salesman carried one himself because he believed in it and disliked shooting anything larger than 9 mm.

He did say the .380 was what he carried, so maybe it's a personal bias only.

It's your decision where to spend your money.

True, true. And there could have been many reasons why he gave me the advice/sales pitch he did. If i go in again, i'll grill him on it. And then show him how awesome i shoot my Sig.

 

[armoredman]

RPGaming girl, upgrade that holster if you can afford it. You can carry quite a big sidearm with the right setup, and that is only good with car coats. Good solid pistola, will serve you well.
Good holster and good gunbelt will really help you out a lot - I reccomend High Noon for both.

 

[RPGamingGirl]

Funny you mentioned that; I just got a new holster in the mail yesterday, lol. Apparently my husband had the same opinion. The new one is much nicer (and lighter); actually made for that particular gun. Yay for not losing one's pants accidentally.

 

[armoredman]

No, being depantsed in public is only funny when it happens to the other person. What type of rig, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[RPGamingGirl]

Can't think of the brand name, but it's a retention holster, made in Israel. It's a paddle holster like my old one, but it fits snug against my hip and has kind of a polymer sleeve that the gun slides and kind of locks into.

I sound really sure about all of that, huh? My husband ordered it and i've only put it on once.

 

[JackL]

Might that be something from Fobus?

 

[RPGamingGirl]

Might be! I think it's this one.

 

[WVsig]

IMHO you are being overly critical and overly sensitive.

You stated:

He said, "That's not true at all! You can absolutely buy a firearm in this state if you're a resident somewhere else. I ship all over the country!"

First he is 100% correct that he can "sell" you or anyone from any state a gun. What he cannot do is transfer a handgun to a resident of another state. His statement rings 100% true to my ears. I buy guns from all over the country. My go to guy is in Alaska and I buy from him multiple times a year.

But he didn't specify that he couldn't sell me anything but a hunting rifle and hand it to me over the counter that very day. I think he should have mentioned that specifically.

Why would he specifiy he couldn't sell you anything but a hunting rilfe? He can sell you anything you want he might not be able to transfer it to you but that is a different issue. I think you are misunderstanding the difference. Also Rifles and shotguns area different story. There are some local/state laws which prohibit it but in most cases you can buy a long gun in a state you do not live in. Tactical cool rilfes are often the exception. Again depending on your state he most likely could have sold you any long gun you desired and you could have walked out the door with it.

As for the rest of the "that guns too big for you..." don't take it personally and do not take it as a gender thing. I am 5' 5" in cleats.. LOL and weight 150. I have had more than a few people question my desire to purchase 12 guage shotguns, 357 mags and even 45 ACPs. People are simply ignorant and given enough opportunity are more than willing to demonstrate this fact. Proper technique and training allow just about anyone to shoot whatever caliber they choose. I also agree with others that smaller guns are often less fun to shoot. The same thing goes for lighter vs heavier.

In the end buy what you want and shoot what you want don't take the counter jockeys so seriously.

 

[RPGamingGirl]

I don't think i was being sensitive, per se, just curious about how some of what he said would be interpreted by others. That's why i asked. And as stated above, i still don't think he was being dishonest, just not 100% upfront either--which, to me, is typical salesman behavior (not really good or bad, it just is what it is, and has been since the beginning of time).

 

[WVsig]

And as stated above, i still don't think he was being dishonest, just not 100% upfront either--which, to me, is typical salesman behavior (not really good or bad, it just is what it is, and has been since the beginning of time).

I guess I just don't see how he was not 100% upfront? He stated he sells and ships guns to people all over the country. I would have fully understood that I would have to complete the transfer papers at my local FFL if he had said this to me. Maybe he assumed the same thing.

Does MO have a law prohibiting you from buying a long gun, rifle or shotgun, out of state? If not he could have sold you a rifle or shotgun if you found one to your liking in his shop.

What am I missing? You seem to be implying that he was disceptive. IMHO he was not. At worst he made assumptions about you knowledge of the law.

PS nice paddle holster. I used to use them for range use. These days I stick to concealed carry leather since if I need to draw a gun that is the type of rig it will be coming out of. I too am a big fan of the Sp2022. Does yours have the internal or external extractor?

 

[RPGamingGirl]

I think he should have assumed i was completely ignorant about the process, since i had stated incorrect information about it already. He's the professional, i am not. It was a case of omitting details rather than purposefully misleading. I think someone more trustworthy would have caught onto that and been very specific to avoid any further misunderstanding.

Unless i'm misreading something, i think i can buy anything legal to own in MO out of state as long as it's kosher with the state that it's being purchased from. I don't need a permit just to own a gun in MO (only to concealed carry said firearm outside of my home). They run a background check that takes about 10 minutes, but there's no application process or waiting period.

 

[WVsig]

I think he should have assumed i was completely ignorant about the process, since i had stated incorrect information about it already. He's the professional, i am not. It was a case of omitting details rather than purposefully misleading. I think someone more trustworthy would have caught onto that and been very specific to avoid any further misunderstanding.

Unless i'm misreading something, i think i can buy anything legal to own in MO out of state as long as it's kosher with the state that it's being purchased from. I don't need a permit just to own a gun in MO (only to concealed carry said firearm outside of my home). They run a background check that takes about 10 minutes, but there's no application process or waiting period.

Sorry but I believe that the issue is not with the merchant but with your understanding of the laws and the process of purchasing a gun at an FFL. You are protraying the store owner/FFL as a shaddy character because you did not understand the law. I think you are reacting to his comment about your SP2022 being to "big for you" and not what he actually said about purchasing a gun from him. I suggests you read up on your states laws and federal laws so that this type of missunderstanding on your part does not cause you to misinterpert the intentions of another FFL.

You can buy a handgun in another state but you cannot take posession of it outside your state of residence. You can only transfer=take possession of a handgun inside your own state. Some states allows face to face transactions between residence of that state some require that you transfer all guns at an FFL. Now any handgun bought from a FFL dealer outside your state must be shipped to an FFL in your state where you complete a 4473 and any state paperwork once you clear the NICS check you get your handgun provided your state has no waiting period.

Again as I stated before there is no federal law prohibiting a resident of one state from buying a long gun in a state that they do not reside in. There are however State laws which prohibit it. So check your state laws. Here in WV I can go to VA and buy a long gun fill out a 4473 in VA pass the NICS check and bring it home to WV. Your state may vary.

It seems to me that you simply do not understanding the law or are not properly applying it. If you are purchasing a handgun you do not fillout the 4473 until you are in your state completing the transfer. If you are purchasing a long gun and your state does not prohibit out of state purchase of long gun you fill out the 4473 and transfer the gun on the state where you purchased it. If you state prohibts this then you would use the same process I outlined for a handgun.

 

[BigCountry308]

WVsig

You seem pretty knowledgeable on the whole transferring laws. A friend of mine is from georgia, and he wants to purchase a pistol here in Montana, but due to financial aid requirements in college, he has to keep his GA driver's license or he loses the fin aid. could he purchase a pistol online and have it shipped to an FFL here and have them handle the transfer or what?

Oh and RPGamingGirl- I personally would never push a small gun on a female. My mom is 5'8" and her favorite gun is a Glock 20 in 10mm. The recoil on it is snappy like a .40 with a bit more push, and at 10 yards, she puts every round through the same hole. If you like the feel of your SP2022, there is nothing anyone can tell you otherwise.

Flipping the situation around, it would be like a guy walking into a gun shop and the salesman pushing a 10" barreled S&W .500 Mag because anything smaller is too small and girly.

BTW what caliber is your SP2022?

 

[youngunz4life]

answering original post

lots of opinions, judgements, and people thinking they know what's best within the gun world. Just trust your instinct + what works for you.

PS- I personally believe that it is a gender thing many times when it comes to guns.

 

[ftttu]

My God girl! That's a Colt's Dragoon!!

 

[American Eagle]

That gun is too big for you. Send it to me...I'll be happy to take it off your hands free of charge.

 

[WVsig]

You seem pretty knowledgeable on the whole transferring laws. A friend of mine is from georgia, and he wants to purchase a pistol here in Montana, but due to financial aid requirements in college, he has to keep his GA driver's license or he loses the fin aid. could he purchase a pistol online and have it shipped to an FFL here and have them handle the transfer or what?

IIRC unless your friend has a Montana DL he will not be able to transfer a gun in Montana. The only exceptions I can think of is for military personnel who can show orders which establish their residency in the state even though they have a DL from another state.